Shift
by Alina-Cantha
Summary: TO BE CONTINUED A threepart story, focusing on Sakura. Her journey over three years, from girl to shinobi. Ino is the next focus, to be done in a threepart story similar to Sakura's.
1. Sakura 1: The End Of The Old Way

**Drabble, I suppose. Pretty short, considering. However, it also has three parts to it. Part one, I present now. Parts two and three will come later, they're almost done. I might not be able to be on, my grandfather is sick. Not that anybody really needs to know all this. Bleh. Read. Naruto is (c) Masashi Kishimoto, not me. **

**Shift**

**Chapter 1: The End Of The Old Way**

All she wants is to be like everybody else – strong, brave, needed. When they had left to retrieve Sasuke, all she could do was pray they would be successful. She had watched Lee, watched his face fall, and watched him stare at the crutch and the cast still around his leg. He hadn't gone because he was unable, not because he wasn't strong enough. That's her problem – she is perfectly able, but no one wants her help. No one needs her, because they are all stronger. She always thought that her experiences made her stronger, and they had. Cutting her hair in the forest, Lee's determined image…the chuunin exams in general, really.

But now here she is, left crying and alone. And this is the day she changes. This is the day she's tired of complaining, of crying herself to sleep some nights. There won't be time for talking or friends, much less shopping or haircuts. Her friends are all busy anyways, in their own way.

This is the end. The end of long hair and femininity, for now, at least. The end of low-calorie meals and diet drinks – she'd burn everything excess off her frame, transforming it into whipcord muscle. This is the end of smiles, and the beginning of sweat and tears, mingling on her face. This is the end of a girl's life, and the beginning of a shinobi's. Because until now, all these things she's learned mean nothing. Now all those platitudes have meaning, and strength has a purpose. To bring him home. When she sees him again, he won't recognize her. Not if she has anything to say about it. She prays the same will not hold true for him – a change in him could only be for the worse, she feels. But it doesn't matter.

_Today is the end of the old way._


	2. Sakura 2: It Shouldn't Have To

**Naruto is (c) Masashi Kishimoto, not me. **

**Shift **

**Chapter 2: It Shouldn't Have To Be This Hard **

Waking up at three from force of habit, she lies in bed, eyes closed. Today, she will have to relax – her muscles will not stand for anything else. In fact, she can barely move out of her comfortable bed, her only true luxury. It is dark now, both outside and in her mind.

She is tired. Long days stretch on forever, until it seems as if it is one long cycle – wake up, train, sleep, wake up, train, sleep – over and over again. There are no days off, no sick days or holidays. That is the curse of medical training. You can always fix yourself up, or close enough, anyways. And no matter the day, people need medical help. And one day, it could be _him _in that hospital bed.

Relax is a relative term.

With a groan, she drags her sore body out of bed. Her leg cramps, and she flexes her ankle, stretching it out. Her arms are stiff and painful. She can barely lift them over her head to pull her shirt on.

Dressed, she stands in front of the mirror, inspecting her appearance. There are dark blue circles under her eyes, dark against her pale skin. Her hair is still short, barely touching her shoulders. Her posture is poor and slouched. To all appearances, she looks ill, mentally and physically. But there is nothing she can do. She has a job that must be done and training to do, if minimal. Today, at best, she has to admit that.

It has been a year and a half since Sasuke left. There has been no true sign of him, besides rumors, and that is what hurts her. He could be anywhere, could be anything, and could even have been killed. She has since decided that she could never love him the way she thought she could, but she does still love him. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke became her family, and it has been a year and a half apart. In her own way, she is mourning their loss. Every so often, she will see Kakashi around the village, and once he visited the hospital, thankfully uninjured. Naruto is busy with his own training, and Sasuke is…wherever he is. Hopefully safe. To everyone else, the boys are the only two who really matter – she is simply a third wheel. Useless, but enough to fill out a team. Soon, that opinion will change. That is why she is living the life she has – to strengthen her. She will pass through the fire, and be honed into something stronger because of her pain. However, Sasuke still concerns her, and has since the chuunin exams.

Sometimes, it seems as if the chuunin exams should never have happened. It caused so much trouble, and got all three of them into things deeper than they had ever anticipated. Without the exams, maybe Sasuke would never have left. Maybe he never would have changed the way he had. Maybe Orochimaru wouldn't have convinced him. But maybe there was nothing they could have done about it. Until she finds out the answers to all the questions she has, she will just have to wait.

But how many times has she told others not to train so hard, to just take a day off? Especially to Lee. The more conscientious ones came back and thanked her, saying they had become stronger than before just because they had let their muscles recover. (Lee usually brought flowers as well.) And now here she is, ignoring her own advice.

She straps on her pouches and checks to make sure she has all her supplies. She cannot cry, no matter how tired or depressed she is, or how grim things look for her future. It will be brighter. She'll just keep telling herself that. Dashing tears from her eyes, she sets her face into an impassive mask, and begins to walk through the cold morning towards the hospital.

_It shouldn't have to be this hard. _


	3. Sakura 3: This Is Who She Is

**Naruto is (c) Masashi Kishimoto, not me. **

**Shift **

**Chapter 3: This Is Who She Is **

This is the day. She has passed through the darkness, and she has become stronger for it. Her smile is brighter, now that it's back, and her face is determined and proud. Two and a half years has changed her, and for the better. She can hold her own now – no one will ever need to protect her again. _She _will be the protector and the rescuer. She wakes up early still, but looks forward to her day. She rises easily and stretches, enjoying the easy flow of her movements and the constrained power within her small frame.

For those two and a half years, her life was hell. No one but her will ever know of the pain she went through, or the mental torture. No one will ever see all the tears she pushed away, when all she wanted was to cry herself to sleep. No one will see them because she _would not _let herself cry. They have been gone two and a half years now, and that is another thing she regrets. The boys have wandered, and seen more than her eyes will probably ever see, while she's stuck in this village. Naruto is rumored to be coming back soon. Of course, there is still no word on where Sasuke is. Naruto does not concern her as much as her former crush does. There is seemingly no force on earth that could move Naruto to betray his own beliefs, or to betray the village he loves so much.

Anything could have happened to them, but she imagines that she would hear about it if something _had _happened. And they would be stronger too, of course. But she believes she has caught up with them, and in a fight, she can pull her own weight. No more will she be on the sidelines, watching as Sasuke and Naruto fought her battles for her.

This time, she will be the savior. She knows that she is stronger, and she knows where she needs to go. She knows of the connections, and she knows that she's smarter than the Akatsuki, and Orochimaru, realize. A surprise attack, of a sort. Perfect for a newly-realized shinobi.

She is strong now, more powerful than her twelve-year-old self could ever have believed. Tsunade has taught her well, and the chuunin uses her lessons wisely. Sometimes now, people tell her that she reminds them of the legendary sannin, when she was younger. She just smiles and nods, thanking them.

Not many people spar with her anymore, it hurts _them_ too much. For a while, they underestimated her. It took them a bit to realize that it wasn't just good luck on her part. She'd known better all along.

Sometimes she sees the genin staring at her, usually the girl. When she spots them, they look away and giggle. She never thinks of herself as a role model, but the younger kunoichi seem to think of her as worth it. She has always liked children anyways.

They all will come home, and they will all be together again. _That _is her goal; that is why she has done all this. That is why she has hardened herself; that is why she has made herself into a weapon, like the others had done so long ago. Not only that, but she can heal. There will be no more crying when one of her friends is injured. There will be no more panic and concern, because she will be there for them. She will _always_ be there for them, even if they will not be there for her.

Sasuke left her so long ago, abandoning her in the darkness. The day would forever be in her memory, as it was the day her life's path was decided. And now, she has reached a milestone on that path. This is who she is today, a changed woman.

She is a healer, a shinobi, a weapon, a woman. This is who she is. Strong. Capable. There will be no more tears, no more helplessness. She is strong.

_This is who she is, and there will never be tears again. _


End file.
